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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28689966">in between these gaps</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/wintercrystale/pseuds/wintercrystale'>wintercrystale</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>NCT (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Non-Famous, Childhood Friends to Lovers, Love Confessions, M/M, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, it's three in the morning and jaemin just wants his cereal</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 06:41:41</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,944</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28689966</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/wintercrystale/pseuds/wintercrystale</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>If Jeno is allowed to explain without having to make any sense, he’d say that Jaemin is a part of him, an extension to his being. He’s not one to believe in fate, but he’d like to think that there’s an invisible string connecting him to Jaemin; that no matter how far the distance separates them, they’d always find their way back to each other.</p><p>“What do you think about settling down?”</p><p>“Settling down?” Jaemin visibly frowns and turns to look at Jeno with a small smile. “Not for me.”</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Lee Jeno/Na Jaemin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>125</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>in between these gaps</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>first fic i managed to finish this year, first fic i wrote for the nct ficdom, so first nomin fic i've ever written! i'm new to the fandom too, if anything, and dream's puzzle piece got me in my feelings so here i am;;</p><p>title from nct dream's puzzle piece</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ninety two percent of what Jeno did in life started with Jaemin.</p><p>His interest in soccer was the byproduct of Jaemin’s many activity exploration throughout primary school; the latter had always been curious about new things, but never lasting long enough to make them a permanent hobby. Dragging Jeno through all those extracurricular activities wasn’t unwelcome. After all, they’re attached at the hip and their friends rarely ever had to utter their names individually without the other.</p><p>Moving out of his parents house and pursuing his study in the heart of Seoul was also Jaemin’s doing, with them promising to get into the same university once they'd graduated high school. Now, they’re in their last year of study and they still lived in the same apartment they’d rented together at the beginning of freshman year.</p><p>Doing a marathon of the supernatural cases of Buzzfeed Unsolved during the ungodly hours of the night was also Jaemin’s idea, though it only happened thrice because Jaemin got scared on the fourth season. Neither of them mentioned how Jaemin would climb up Jeno’s bed and curl up next to the older the next few nights. Jeno could only happily sling an arm around Jaemin’s waist and pull him closer.</p><p>Late night impulsive actions were usually courtesy of Jeno, mostly involving a whining Jaemin and a cycling adventure through the city. That’s one of the things that started with Jeno, though Jaemin still took part in it.</p><p>Technically, ninety eight percent of what Jeno did in life involved Jaemin.</p><p>Including right now, the watch on Jeno’s wrist showing some minutes past three in the morning, he’s clad in his sweatpants and hoodie, keys and wallet hanging heavy inside his pockets. Jaemin walked beside him as they leisurely traced their way through the aisles with pinky fingers latched loosely with each other’s.</p><p>“You couldn’t have waited a few more hours for the sun to rise before dragging me to the supermarket?”</p><p>Jaemin pursed his lips and tugged on Jeno’s pinky to intertwine their fingers instead. “I want my cereal now or I will <em> die</em>, you know how it is.”</p><p>“It’s <em> three </em> in the morning.” Jeno sighed, letting Jaemin drag him to the cereal aisle with no strength needed.</p><p>“You could’ve just stayed home.”</p><p>“You literally didn’t stop pestering me for fifteen full minutes.”</p><p>“I could’ve stopped on the sixteenth minute, but you relented so quickly.”</p><p>Jeno scowled as Jaemin let out a happy giggle, hand tugging on Jeno’s until their shoulders bumped against each other.</p><p>“Here we are.” Upon arriving on the cereal aisle, Jaemin let Jeno’s hand go in favor of looking through the selections available on the shelves.</p><p>The older sighed, opting to lean against a pile of cardboard boxes stacked neatly on the shelf opposite the one Jaemin’s inspecting right now.</p><p>The two percent of his life that didn’t have Jaemin in it was when they were twelve and Jeno had to move to another city because of his father’s work. It was awful, mostly. Tossing and turning in his bed every night, missing Jaemin that was supposed to always be by his side—in a way, his brain locked away the whole memory of those six months, though Jeno could relive the feelings if he tried hard enough. They’d learned to never take each other for granted after that.</p><p>From where he’s leaning against the cardboard boxes comfortably, Jeno observed Jaemin as the latter squinted at a box of cornflakes, then at the price tag below it.</p><p>“What cereal do you like, Jeno?” Jaemin asked.</p><p>Jeno shrugged. “I’m not a fan of cereal.”</p><p>“No.” Jaemin snorted, turning to spare a glance at Jeno before going back to his cereal boxes. “I know, but which one do you prefer more, at least?”</p><p>“The one you had for dinner the other day.”</p><p>“Which <em> other day</em>?” Jaemin pursed his lips. “I’m pretty sure we had at least three different brands of cereal at home before Donghyuck raided our stock.”</p><p>“Uh.” Jeno tapped on his chin and thought a little further. “On Tuesday?”</p><p>Jaemin scrunched up his nose. “Not feeling Froot Loops for this hour.”</p><p>Jeno sighed. “Why did you ask then?”</p><p>“Formality.” Jaemin grinned, making Jeno snicker but say nothing else as he didn’t mind Jaemin being like <em> this</em>.</p><p>Every time someone asked Jeno about what his relationship with Jaemin was, Jeno answered with a simple shrug and a short “We’re friends”. The half-mocking “Yeah right” and pitying laugh in return didn’t affect Jeno in the slightest, because <em> how else was he supposed to describe his relationship with Na Jaemin? </em></p><p>Truthfully, Na Jaemin was so much more than just that.</p><p>If Jeno were allowed to explain without having to make any sense, he’d say that Jaemin was a part of him, an extension to his being. He’s not one to believe in fate, but he’d like to think that there’s an invisible string connecting him to Jaemin; that no matter how far the distance separated them, they’d always find their way back to each other.</p><p>Jeno knew how many times Jaemin jumped in and out of romantic relationships—nine, none of them lasted long enough to matter. Only two of them left Jaemin in a heartbreak, but he’d always bounced back fast that his exes felt like they knew where Jaemin’s heart had always belonged.</p><p>It had brought Jeno fear more than once, because <em> what if Jaemin left him one day and never came back? </em> And that’s the thing; on better days when his mind could think more clearly, Jeno thought it was impossible. The little string that Jeno believed connected him to Jaemin was knotted so intricately that no matter how hard he tugged, it wouldn’t come undone.</p><p>At the end of the day, when Jaemin left anywhere, Jeno was his final destination.</p><p>They’re the pair of toothbrushes by the sink, the purposeful leftover coffee in the pot, the jar of strawberry jam Jaemin always bought for Jeno even though he himself didn’t like it, and the multiple ‘goodbye’s that always had another ‘hello’. Jaemin’s a constant to Jeno, like Avogadro’s number to atoms and Stefan-Boltzmann’s to black body radiation.</p><p>It didn’t make much sense that <em> at least </em> three quarters of his heart belonged to Jaemin, but that’s as much space as he could leave. If he’d given away more, he wouldn’t have any spare for himself—not that it would matter, because he knew Jaemin would exchange it with his own. <em> “An eye for an eye”</em>, Jaemin had always said back in their pirate phase, to which Jeno would always answer with <em> “How about a heart for a heart?” </em></p><p>The string between them swayed as Jaemin took a box of Cheerios from the shelf—or at least Jeno would imagine, because he’s eighty six percent sure it’s there.</p><p>Jeno sure didn’t want their relationship to be limited to just an invisible string between them that Jaemin wasn’t even aware of. Their relationship was so much more than that. He’d thought hard and long enough about it and maybe he wanted Jaemin to be a part of him permanently.</p><p>“Nana.”</p><p>Three in the morning was never the best time for Jeno to think, let alone when all of his senses were invaded by Jaemin.</p><p>“What do you think about settling down?”</p><p>Jeno winced when he heard the loud thump echoing through the empty aisles before he saw Jaemin staring at the box of cereal lying sadly on the ground, mouth agape and body frozen. At least Jeno felt the smallest bit apologetic for asking out of nowhere.</p><p>“Settling down?” Jaemin visibly frowned, took the cereal box from the ground, and turned to look at Jeno with a small smile. “Not for me.” He sighed. “Unless it’s with you.”</p><p>Jeno blinked.</p><p>“In which case, are you proposing to me, Lee Jeno?” Jaemin crossed his arms. “Here, really?”</p><p>The cereal aisle wasn’t the ideal place to <em> propose</em>, Jeno knew that—it wasn’t a proposal, anyway.</p><p>“Without properly dating me first?” Jaemin jutted out his bottom lip, made a loud popping noise with his lips, and sighed once more. “I don’t mind. Let’s elope. I’ve loved you for long enough anyway.”</p><p>Jeno sputtered, mouth agape in what he assumed to be the most unattractive he could get this early in the morning in his very comfortable set of clothes and with thick glasses perched on his nose. “You can’t just say things like that.”</p><p>Jaemin huffed and marched towards Jeno until the tip of their slippers touched each other. “You’re the one who asked about settling down!”</p><p>“I was thinking maybe in a few years.” Having Jaemin up close in his personal space was nothing unfamiliar, but at the moment it felt like Jaemin took away all the oxygen in his vicinity. “After I can afford a house for us two.”</p><p>“And your three cats?” Jaemin beamed.</p><p>“And my three cats.” Jeno mirrored it.</p><p>“And my dog?” His smile widened ridiculously.</p><p>Jeno frowned. “You don’t have a dog.”</p><p>“I’ve planned to adopt one if I ever… <em>‘</em><em>settle down’.</em>” Jaemin air-quoted the two words, which made him a little more ridiculous with his cereal box tucked under his arm. “And what makes you think I’d be around to wait for that long?”</p><p>Jeno didn’t. He never thought Jaemin would, but he imagined the invisible string between them knotting itself tighter by the proximity and Jeno had the confidence that it’s still not breaking.</p><p>“I planned to ask you to wait,” Jeno said instead, plain and simple, with an even simpler smile tugging at his lips.</p><p>“Then ask me.”</p><p>Jeno blinked. “I’m sorry?”</p><p>“Ask me to wait, Lee Jeno.” Jaemin grinned.</p><p>“Will you wait for me?” Jeno breathed. “I’ll ask you to settle down with me once I can afford a place for us to settle down.”</p><p>Jaemin had the courtesy to pretend he needed to think, though the answer came relatively fast. “No.”</p><p>Jeno frowned. “No?”</p><p>“We’ll settle down once <em> we </em> can afford a place for us to settle down.”</p><p>The stars migrated to Jaemin’s eyes, it seemed, as Jeno got lost in his own orbit around the younger. Jaemin smoothed a thumb over Jeno’s forehead, effectively getting rid of the frown, before tiptoeing to leave a small peck there.</p><p>Jeno’s breath got caught in his lungs right before he got the chance to say anything. His heartbeat didn’t speed up, as it’s already in the default steady high bpm he had when he’s around Na Jaemin.</p><p>“We’ve been living together for years anyway, why does it matter?” Jaemin asked.</p><p>When Jeno refocused back on Jaemin, he realized that he could never get used to staring at the epitome of beauty itself. </p><p>Jaemin’s eyes glistened under the cheap lighting of the supermarket, reflecting Jeno’s own figure inside the dark pair of irises—and maybe Jeno felt a little unworthy to be stared at like that by Na Jaemin, but he also remembered that he’s one of the few people that had always stayed by Jaemin’s side through everything so <em> maybe </em> he’s every bit as worthy. The pretty pair of lips curved into an even prettier smile—and by now, Jeno had known that he thought everything about Jaemin was pretty.</p><p>“Are you kidding?” Jeno replied. “We need a better apartment if I’m asking you to move in with me.”</p><p>Jaemin raised an eyebrow, expression amused as ever. “Can’t ask me to move in with you when I’m already your roommate.”</p><p>“Exactly.” Jeno grinned. “Can’t ask you to move in with me if we’re still in the same apartment.”</p><p>“You’re ridiculous.”</p><p>“As you’ve always known me.”</p><p>The smile never left Jaemin’s lips. “Yeah, you’re right.”</p><p>“So, what kind of ring do you want for us?”</p><p>Jaemin groaned. “You’ve always talked about how you want to propose with a <em> bearing</em>, Jeno, are you telling me you changed your mind?”</p><p>Jeno shrugged. “I’ve always thought you deserve the most expensive diamond ring.”</p><p>“I don’t care about that.” Jaemin took Jeno’s hand in his—the one Jeno imagined where their string was supposed to be if it were real—and placed it on his own cheek. “Maybe I just want your name carved on it, whatever kind of ring you decide to get.”</p><p>So <em> maybe </em> Jeno never thought he’d ever settle down if it wasn’t with Jaemin.</p><p>“So you’ve loved me since I don’t know when and I only got to know this now?” Jaemin scrunched up his nose. “Very romantic, ten out of ten, splendid.”</p><p>“I think.” A smile crept up to Jeno’s lips as he leaned in to leave a ghost of a kiss to Jaemin’s temple. “We have a whole lifetime to talk about that.”</p><p>When he felt Jaemin’s breath hitch, Jeno’s smile only widened. So maybe the effect they had on each other was mutual.</p><p>“We do.”</p><p>The first time Jeno realized he had fallen for Jaemin, it was nothing sort of magical, nothing like how they described it in fairytales, nothing like Jeno had ever imagined before. He fell, though it felt a lot less like falling and more like stepping into the right direction. It gave him peace that it was Jaemin he decided to settle for. Ever since then, the earth still rotated on its axis, the sun still shone upon him, and time never stopped even just to stare—his heart the only thing caught in a standstill.</p><p>It was about half to four in the morning, Jaemin paid for his cereal at the cashier, and they walked back to their shared apartment hand in hand. Nothing shifted between them, as if the conversation they just had was only about the weather. Though, it’s a given. They’ve always been like this. Jeno and Jaemin. Jaemin and Jeno. Just them against the world.</p><p>“Penny for your thoughts?” Jaemin spoke after five minutes of sharing a happy silence.</p><p>“I wonder sometimes,” Jeno whispered, the oh-so-cliché million dollar question ready at the tip of his tongue. “Out of seven billion people, why you?”</p><p>Jaemin snorted. “Because out of those seven billion people, I think you only know, like, point zero zero zero zero two percent of it. I’m inside that very small percentage.” He turned to look at Jeno with a smile. “Now, say, that means you only know about a thousand-ish people, right? Then, out of that thousand, you only grew up with three people. Technically, you <em> could </em>be choosing Renjun or Donghyuck, or anyone else that caught your heart. Realistically, I’m actually the one half that makes us. Do you get it? I personally think I can live without Renjun or Donghyuck, but you…”</p><p>The stare Jaemin fixated at him was a little more complicated than his usual ones. It’s a tad wistful though also giddy, like he held the secret of the universe and wanted to share it with the one person that mattered the most.</p><p>“Theoretically, I can.”</p><p>Jeno scoffed, making Jaemin smile.</p><p>“Though, it would feel like there’d be a gaping hole where my heart is right now. It would feel awful, like my other half is ripped apart, and I’d never feel whole again.”</p><p>The warmth of a fire settled itself at the bottom of Jeno’s stomach, waking up the butterflies and sending them in a panic flutter of wings in his gut.</p><p>“Nana?”</p><p>“Yeah?”</p><p>“Shut up.”</p><p>Jaemin’s smile widened impossibly, the stars settling down once again between the fibers in his beautiful irises. “Is this the part where I say ‘make me’?”</p><p>“Not necessarily.” When Jeno stopped walking, he tugged Jaemin’s arm and turned the younger around to face him. “I’d love to kiss you anyway.”</p><p>Leaning in to kiss Jaemin, Jeno thought it wasn’t as scary as he thought it would be. It didn’t feel like fireworks went off around them, though Jeno wished that would be the case as he could hear his own heartbeat ringing in his ears. He’d rather detach himself from this overwhelming feeling of loving and being loved back in return, at the same time that he didn’t want to ever stop. Not when he now knew for sure that the invisible string connecting them was real; as real as Jaemin’s existence under his fingertips and on his lips, around him and engulfing his whole heart in an eternal flame, and in his life for the rest of his ever after.</p><p>Jeno no longer knew what time it was when they parted and stared at each other’s eyes longingly. The smile on Jaemin’s face might be Jeno’s favorite smile for now, knowing there’s going to be more like it to come. Bringing up a hand to tuck stray strands of Jaemin’s hair behind his ear, Jeno found it so <em> so </em> easy to fall even deeper when he already thought it wasn’t possible anymore.</p><p>“I’ve loved you for the most part of my life,” Jeno whispered to Jaemin’s lips, making the latter shiver in the chilly early morning air.</p><p>“If you’re going to recite your wedding vows for me, I don’t want to hear it now.” Jaemin shoved Jeno away playfully and started walking again.</p><p>“Hey!” Jeno followed suit soon after.</p><p>Jaemin felt a lot like his missing puzzle piece, Jeno thought, though he was never missing in the first place. He filled in all the gaps in Jeno to the point where Jeno purposefully left spaces for Jaemin to occupy.</p><p>And it looked like it would be like that for a very long time.</p><p>“For the record, I’ll love you for the rest of my life.”</p><p>Jeno smiled. “I’m writing that as a part of your vow.”</p><p>The crinkle of Jaemin’s eyes told Jeno that he didn’t mind.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>thank you for reading it!!!💕💕💕</p><p>if you ever want to be my friend, hmu on <a href="https://twitter.com/wintercrystale">twitter</a> or yell at me on <a href="https://curiouscat.me/wintercrystale">cc</a>!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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